The traditional method of ordering food and drink in a restaurant or diner is that the customer sits at a location such as a table (that may well be numbered to facilitate identification of a table) and the order is taken by a waiter or waitress. When the order is ready to be filled, the waiter or waitress then delivers the food to the table.
In a modification of this technique, it is known to take orders at a central location and an ordering customer after having ordered is then given a table number which is displayed on the table that the customer then selects. The order when completed is bought by a waiter or waitress to the customer's indicated table.
In an effort to reduce the number of waiting staff, it is also known to take orders at a central location and to provide the ordering customer with a radio device which the customer then takes with him to the table. On completion of the order, the radio device is activated and the customer then returns to the central location, returns the radio device, and collects the meal.
It is also known for some home delivery food orders, such as pizzas sold by PIZZA HUT (Registered Trade Mark), to provide an Internet based service in which customers order and pay for their food utilizing a credit card. The order is then relayed to the nearest PIZZA HUT branch which then fills the order and makes the necessary delivery.